


Ozone

by zorac



Series: Chemistry [6]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Canon Disabled Character, F/F, Polyamory, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-02-03 08:51:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12745020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zorac/pseuds/zorac
Summary: “Actually… if it’s not too weird, I’d kinda like to watch you two making out some more.”Back inOxygen, Chloe began living vicariously through her friends. Now that Max and Victoria’s relationship has progressed to the next level, it's time for her to catch up.





	1. Coming In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follows directly on from [Osmium](/works/12715431), but that's not required reading.

###### Max

“Hello, girls,” said Joyce when she answered the door, “thanks again for doing this.”

“It’s our pleasure,” I replied as we went into the house. “You and William deserve to get away and have some time to yourselves. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of Chloe.”

“I know you will. Victoria, we really appreciate the loan of the cabin – and the kick out of the door.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you have a great time.”

“Why don’t you go on through and say hello to Chloe, I just need a quick word with Max.” She led me upstairs. “We keep meaning to get Chloe’s old room sorted for guests, but as we haven’t got around to it yet, you two will be sleeping in our bed. We’ve already put fresh linen on, there’s another set here.” She showed me a spot in the closet.

“If you could change the bed again before we get back, I’d be grateful. I was young and in love once, so I accept that you two aren’t going to be sleeping chastely on opposite sides of the bed, but I’d rather not find any evidence to contradict that delusion.”

“Joyce!” I exclaimed, blushing brightly.

She smiled sadly, “When Chloe was growing up, I was looking forward to having this sort of conversation with her, and then all of that got taken away from us.”

I took her hand. “You’ve been mothering _me_ for as long as I can remember. Please don’t stop now.”

“Thanks, Max. And thank-you for everything you’ve done for Chloe. Ever since you, Victoria and Kate started coming to visit, she’s been the happiest I’ve seen her since before the accident. I just wish she had more than a few weeks left to enjoy it…” Her hand flew up to her mouth as she realized what she’d said. “Please don’t tell her.”

I made a quick decision. “Chloe already knows. She told me, the first time I came to visit. Of course, she didn’t want you to know that she knew. She thought you would worry.”

“Well, aren’t we a family of fools.”

“Yes,” I said bluntly, “Chloe could really have done with some support from her parents when she was first processing it. She was… not coping at all well, that first time I saw her, but she does seem to have made peace with it now.”

Joyce looked at me with respect. “I guess I deserved that. We’ll be more honest with her in future.”

“Just, don’t let her know that you know that she knows. Go with ‘I’m sorry, we should have told you this sooner’ or something.” I paused for a moment. “Don’t worry about that now; you should go enjoy a weekend away with your husband… and the fact that you don’t have to change the bed afterwards,” I ended with a big wink.

“I walked right into that, didn’t I,” said Joyce with a laugh.

“Was there anything else?”

“No, go say hello to the others. Oh, if you wouldn’t mind taking one of those cases down with you.” I left the case at the bottom of the stairs, and wandered through to find Victoria and Chloe in the back room, laughing at some joke William had been telling them.

“Hey, Max, all done with Mom?”

“Yeah, she just wanted to make sure I knew where everything was.”

“You all set, then?” asked William. I nodded. “In that case, we should probably get going.” Sure enough, at that moment Joyce called for him. “We’ll see you all on Sunday night. Have fun!”

Moments later, they were gone. “So,” said Chloe, “what did Mom _really_ want?”

“To tell me to change the sheets on Sunday so she doesn’t have to find any evidence of all the sex Victoria and I are apparently going to be having.” Victoria had a sudden coughing fit.

“It’s a fair cop, right?” asked Chloe. She was smiling.

“Yes,” said Victoria, “but that’s not the point!” Chloe just grinned at Victoria’s discomfort. When she first found out that we’d started sleeping together, things were… tense, to say the least. I was glad that she’d relaxed since then – and started demanding all the details, the way I’d initially expected

“Anyway, there’s some casserole in the oven if you guys are hungry. To be honest, I strongly recommend it even if you aren’t.” I was starving, so I ladled us out large portions. Joyce’s cooking was, as always, delicious. “So, what do you want to do this evening?”

“I dunno,” I replied. “Maybe just watch a movie? I’m actually pretty tired, so despite what we were talking about earlier, I’m probably gonna want to crash out fairly early and just go to sleep.”

“Awww. Victoria been keeping you up all night?”

“Not _all_ night. Even I need to rest occasionally,” she said with a smirk. I decided simply not to comment. They’d just gang up on me, and that never ended well.

“Anyway, I picked up a copy of Joss Whedon’s take on _Much Ado About Nothing_ , if anyone’s interested…”

Victoria’s face lit up. “Definitely! _Much Ado_ is far and away my favorite Shakespeare play. I’ve seen a bunch of other stage and screen productions of it; I was really pissed off I didn’t get to see this version at the cinema.”

“Sounds good to me,” agreed Chloe. We went through into her bedroom, and Victoria and I transferred her into her bed; obviously Joyce or William had helped her change into nightwear earlier, so we were spared the potential embarrassment of that until the next day. I put the DVD on, then settled down on a chair next to my girlfriend to watch.

When it was over, I turned to Victoria. “So, as our resident expert on the subject, what did you think?”

She considered for a moment. “It was pretty good. There were some interesting new takes in there. In particular, I was surprised by Nathan Fillion’s wonderfully understated performance as Dogberry; normally that part’s played as ridiculously over-the-top. I do have one big gripe though; I feel like Alexis Denisof was horribly miscast as Benedick.”

“I thought he was good,” I objected.

Victoria sighed, “maybe it’s just because I’m comparing him to Kenneth Branagh’s performance in the version he directed – which still retains the crown as my all time favorite.”

I was looking that up in IMDb on my phone. “Okay, yeah, that is a pretty awesome cast. Wait… Keanau Reeves?”

“Even him,” nodded Victoria. “He may have a… limited range, but that’s actually a perfect fit for Don John.”

Chloe laughed. “Okay, Siskel and Ebert, that’s enough. I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready to get some sleep.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, yawning. “There anything else you need before we head upstairs?”

“Nope, I’m good. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

Victoria and I both gave her a kiss goodnight, then headed up to bed. Once we were snuggled up under the covers, I asked her, “are you still okay with our plan for tomorrow?”

She smiled. “You do remember that it was my idea in the first place, right? So, yeah, I’m actually _really_ looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

I kissed her. “We should get plenty of rest, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the tags suggest, **there will be smut** in the next chapter (which is mostly done, I just need to revise it a few dozen more times until I’m comfortable with posting it.)


	2. Going Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Avast, me hearties; here there be smut!

###### Chloe

When I woke up the next morning, I could tell at once that it was going to be a good pain day. I had a whole weekend ahead with just me, Max and Victoria; I wanted to be able to spend my spoons on something other than fighting back the agony. I could hear one – or possibly both – of them in the shower, so either they were earlier risers than I expected, or I’d slept in. I glanced over at the clock and confirmed it was the latter; that would be another reason why I was feeling better than usual.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and then my girlfriends came in. “Good morning,” Max said brightly, “how are you feeling?”

“Pretty damn good, actually.”

“Is there anything you need us to do for you right now?”

“No, I’m fine. So, what do you two have planned for me today?”

They exchanged glances. “Well,” began Victoria, “it’s been a while since you’ve done any vicarious living, and we both kinda miss it.”

“We’d like to do some more of that now,” continued Max, “only this time we’re alone in the house, so we don’t need to worry about your parents coming in.”

“You can ask us to do _anything_ you want,” said Victoria, her tone sultry. “Remember, we’ve gone a lot further than making out now, so you don’t need to keep it PG.”

“In fact we’d really like you to make it X-rated – provided that’s something you want too,” finished Max. “What do you say?”

My mouth had gone dry. Ever since my girlfriends had admitted that they’d started sleeping together – once I’d got past the insane jealousy – I’d been having fantasies about watching them. I’d never really expected anything to happen, but now they weren’t merely offering to let me watch, they were asking me to direct the action. Eventually, I managed to croak out a single word: “water!”

“Oh, sorry!” Max hurried forward and held up the cup for me. I took several long sips. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, I just got a little bit dried out. You caught me off guard there. Not,” I hurried on, “in a bad way.” I hesitated; if we were going to do this, I needed to be honest with them first. “Listen, I have a couple of confessions to make. I may have already been having fantasies about this, well, just about watching you, really. I’m sorry if that kinda creeps you out.”

It was Victoria who answered first. “I would think that what we just suggested should tell you that we don’t have a problem with that.”

“Yeah, but this was before I had… permission.”

“Seriously, Chloe,” said Max, “we’ve been having our vicarious make-out sessions, and telling you about our sex life in pretty explicit detail. That you’ve been having fantasies about us does not come as a surprise.”

“In fact,” continued Victoria, “I’d almost be insulted if you weren’t.” That made me laugh. “So, what was your second confession?”

I took a deep breath – well, metaphorically, at least. “In my head, I’ve started thinking of you two as my girlfriends. I know that’s incredibly presumptuous, but… you know I didn’t deal well at first with hearing about your sex life, and this became my coping mechanism. If I couldn’t have the physical part of the relationship, at least I could pretend that I had the rest, and that was enough…”

Max silenced me with a finger in my lips. “I would love to be your girlfriend. Provided, of course, that Victoria doesn’t mind sharing.”

She grinned. “Not at all. Two girlfriends are better than one, right?” And then she was kissing me, her tongue insistently pushing between my lips, drawing a low moan from me. After a while, she pulled back and Max took her place. This kiss was softer, gentler, encouraging me to take the lead. When she stood up smiling, I knew everything was going to be okay.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and slipped into the persona I’d been using when directing their make-out sessions. “You two really need to be kissing right now,” I said; they wasted no time in obeying. It still gave me a thrill to watch them like that, being allowed to share in their private moments. Normally I would have them necking, and indulging in a little over-the-clothes groping. Not this time; there were limits to how slowly I wanted to take things.

“Max, I want you to unbutton Victoria’s blouse, one at a time. No rush, I’m sure you’re going to find places you want to kiss along the way.” I was glad they’d gone to the trouble of getting dressed for this; it wouldn’t have been quite the same if they’d still been in just their nightwear – then I realized that they most likely hadn’t been wearing any in the first place.

I watched avidly as Max kissed her way down Victoria’s neck, then began to unfasten buttons. When she revealed the first hints of a black, lacy bra, she stopped to lavish kisses across the top of Victoria’s breasts, eliciting soft sighs. It was only when Max continued downwards that I got a proper view of her spectacular cleavage; I rather suspected that Victoria had put on her sexiest underwear for the occasion, and that gave me even more of a thrill.

After spending a little time on what I assumed must be Victoria’s navel, Max stood back up. “Would you like me to remove the blouse altogether?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, I think so. I’d very much like to get a full view of Victoria’s fantastic breasts.” They both smirked, then Max stepped forward, pulling her into a kiss as she pushed the garment back and then down Victoria’s arms, before tossing it away to land draped across the TV. Her hands roamed across the newly exposed skin for a few moments before I interrupted. “Ahem.” Max pulled away with a slight pout.

Victoria walked slowly over towards me. “Do you like what you see?” she asked, her voice husky. I nodded mutely. She bent over, giving me an even better view of that cleavage, before briefly kissing me and then whispering in my ear. “I bought new lingerie especially for you; just wait until you see what I’ve got on under my skirt.” I let out a small, incoherent noise; Max sniggered.

My eyes narrowed. “For that, you lose your shirt,” I told her. “Now.” She barely hesitated before pulling it over her head, revealing a plain nude T-shirt bra underneath. “The bra, too.” This time she did hesitate, before reaching back and unhooking it. She held it in place while freeing her arms from the straps, and then let it drop away. Her breasts were small, but perky, and dusted with freckles. “Wow,” I breathed, “you’re gorgeous!”

“Isn’t she just?” said Victoria, who’d turned to stare at her. “We’re so lucky to have such a pretty girlfriend. Plus, topless in jeans is _such_ a good look.” Max blushed, seemingly uncomfortable with such praise.

“We embarrassed her,” I said to Victoria, “you should go kiss that better.” She hurried to obey, and soon their bodies and mouths were pressed together. I allowed them a few seconds before interrupting. “Sorry, I wasn’t clear… that’s not where I wanted you to kiss her.” She shot me a sultry look, and than began trailing kisses down Max’s neck and chest, before circling first one breast and then the other.

Max made an impatient noise, which turned into a moan as Victoria looked up at her, then took a nipple into her mouth. I drank in the sight as she brought up a hand to caress the other breast, rolling the nipple between forefinger and thumb. She switched her mouth from one breast to the other a few times before standing back up to kiss Max on the lips again. “Was that more what you had in mind?” she asked when she was done.

“Oh, hell, yes,” I said, a little horsely. “Um… could I have some more water.” It was Max who came over and held up the cup and straw again; I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her chest, just a couple of feet away from my face.

“See something else you’d like suck on?” she asked with a naughty look on her face.

“I… uh…” My eyes flicked across to Victoria, who gave me an encouraging nod. “Yes, please!” Max set down the glass, then leaned forward so that her left breast was a scant inch away from my lips. I stretched my tongue out and ran it across the pebbled surface of her areola for a few seconds before lifting my head to wrap my lips around it. The moans that Max made as I first sucked, and then swirled my tongue around her nipple gave me a thrill unlike anything I’d experienced before.

Reluctantly, I pulled back, allowing Max to release her somewhat awkward pose. “Well,” I said, “that’s not an experience I was expecting when I woke up this morning.” They both laughed. “Anyway, I think it’s about time for Victoria’s skirt to come off. I’ve been dying to see what’s underneath.”

“Me too!” said Max. “She made me get dressed in the bathroom this morning.” She went over to kneel in front of Victoria and slowly worked down the zip, before pulling the skirt to the floor, revealing a pair of lacy black Brazilian shorts, stockings, and a suspender belt. “Well, that’s just unbelievably hot,” remarked Max as Victoria stepped out of the skirt. I couldn’t help but agree, and she knew it, going by the insufferably smug expression on her face. She turned around and struck a pose, just to make sure we could see how incredible her ass looked.

“We’re so lucky to have such a hot girlfriend,” said Max dreamily. “Now you can see why I keep saying Victoria is totally out of my league.”

Victoria turned on her, a hint of anger in her voice. “Seriously, I’ve told you not to say that. As far as I’m concerned I’m the one who’s lucky to have _you_. I’m not afraid to put you over my knee if that’s what it takes to drive my point home.”

There was dead silence for a few seconds, until I decided to defuse the tension. “Can I watch? I mean, maybe not today; I’d prefer to leave the BDSM out of our first time, but…” They just stared at me for a moment, then we all burst into laughter.

“You know,” said Victoria to Max, “I think we’re both lucky, to have Chloe.”

“Yeah, we really are.”

“Oh, you two just earned yourselves a serious make-out session. First, though, I think that Max’s pants need to go.”

“An excellent plan,” said Victoria eagerly, as she unbuttoned the fly. Slowly, she slid down the jeans to reveal a pair of plain white cotton panties. “Really, Max? You couldn’t have put a little more thought into this?”

“I did! I knew I could never pull off the sexy seductress look like you do, so I went for the shy, innocent, girl-next-door.”

“Shy? Maybe. Girl-next-door? Close enough. But innocent…?”

“And who’s to blame for that?”

“Guilty as charged. Are you complaining?”

“Yeah. Why aren’t you kissing me yet?”

“Because,” I interrupted, “I haven’t given permission?”

“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” asked Victoria in an insolent tone.

“Yes, it is. And for that piece of impertinence, I’m going to have to ask Max to confiscate your brassiere.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” she said, throwing me a jaunty salute. She stepped forward, and reached around Victoria’s back to unclasp the offending garment, before pulling it off. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take this away as evidence of how criminally attractive you are.”

I would have laughed at how cheesy Max’s lines were, but I was too busy staring at Victoria. She reached up to cup her breasts, gently massaging them. “Like what you see?”

“Mhmmmm?” I managed. “Uh, yes.” Then, pulling myself together, “you’re totally allowed to kiss now. Do whatever you like with your hands.” Their lips met before I’d even finished talking. Watching them together excited me even more than it did that first time; then, they were fully clothed, now they were all but naked. I could see their breasts squashed together, hands sneaking down the backs of panties.

After several minutes, they broke apart, both breathing heavily. “So,” asked Max. “What next?”

I thought for a moment. “I think it’s time you transferred me to my chair. I have this feeling you two are going to need the bed soon. I mean, if you’re still sure you’re okay with that.”

“We’re sure,” said Max. Victoria simply nodded.

“And, uh…” I hesitated, nervous. “I’m feeling a little bit overdressed. I think I’d be more comfortable if my pajama top didn’t make the move with me. You showed me yours, so I should show you mine, right?”

“Chloe, you don’t have to…”

“I know,” I interrupted, “but I _want_ to.” I paused. “Look, you two will be getting me changed later; if you’re going to be seeing me naked, I’d prefer the first time to be now, when it can be erotic rather than embarrassing.” My pants could stay on, though – the bag and catheter they were hiding? _So_ not sexy.

It was Max who smiled and came forward. “Okay, then,” she said, and kissed me. Then she began trailing kisses down my neck as she unbuttoned my top, in the same way that she did when she was undressing Victoria. It felt _really_ good; I may have moaned a little bit. And then… nothing. After a couple more kisses, Max paused and looked up at me. “You can’t feel these any more, can you?”

“No,” I said, with a hint of sadness.

“Then I should stop.”

“Why? Do you not enjoy it? Is it creeping you out in some way?”

“What? No! Of course it isn’t. It’s just… if you can’t feel it, then it seems somehow wrong.”

“Oh, Max, it’s only wrong if _I_ say it’s wrong. You seem to be enjoying doing it, Victoria’s clearly enjoying watching you, and I… I only ever got to first base before I had my accident. _No-one_ has ever touched me like this, and even if I can’t feel it, finally seeing it happen is an incredible turn-on for me. If you stop now, then so help me I will get Kate to sic her killer bunny on you.”

Max let out a choked laugh, and leaned up to kiss me on the lips. “Yes, ma’am, cap’n Chloe,” she said with a smile, then resumed her downward journey. Once that last button was undone, and the last kiss delivered, she beckoned for Chloe. Together, they pulled me gently forward and slid the top off, then transferred me to my chair. I looked down. Definitely a more flattering angle; then I noticed I wasn’t the only one checking out my chest.

“Like what you see, ladies?” They exchanged guilty looks. “You know, it’s just occurred to me that I have two breasts… and two girlfriends. It would be terribly… disappointing if you didn’t take advantage of this opportunity.” They shared another look, then kneeled on either side of my chair. I might not have been able to feel what they were doing, but the images of them worshipping my body with hands and mouths are burned into my brain.

After a couple of minutes they withdrew. “So, what would you have us do now?” enquired Max.

“I think it’s time for you to lose your underwear,” I replied. “Both of you.”

Victoria grinned. “An excellent plan!” She crouched behind Max and ran her fingers under the waistband of her panties before ever-so-slowly inching them down. I watched intently as a neatly trimmed patch of dark curls was gradually revealed. Max stepped out of her underwear and struck a slightly awkward pose. My eyes widened as, behind her, Victoria lifted the panties to her nose and inhaled deeply, before tossing them aside.

Max turned around, giving me a nice view of her ass, before kneeling in front of Victoria. Lifting first one leg, then the other, she slowly unfastened and rolled down the stockings, caressing every inch of bare skin she exposed. After removing the suspender belt, she stepped behind Victoria then, in one smooth motion, she slid down her lingerie, revealing a perfectly shaved and glistening vulva. Almost involuntarily, I licked my lips, causing Victoria to smirk at me. “So,” she asked, “what show would you like us to put on next? You can ask us to do _anything_.”

“First, I could use a little more water.” Max brought the cup over and held the straw up to my lips; I took a long sip. “Thanks. And now…” I turned back to Victoria, not quite believing what I was about to say. “Now I’d really like to watch you fuck Max.”

Her grin in response was almost predatory. “You heard the lady, Maxine, why don’t you make yourself comfortable.” Max sashayed over to my bed and lay down on her back, squirming a little as she settled in. Victoria went around the bed, and lay on her side next to her. “Why don’t you come closer, Chloe? We won’t bite.” I carefully maneuvered my chair round to the end of the bed.

“Much better,” said Max, smiling. She spread her legs wider, giving me a clear view of her pussy. Victoria ran a finger along her slit, sliding it inside for a moment, then held it up for my inspection.

“Look how wet she is for us!”

“Please…” I whispered. Victoria responded immediately by plunging two fingers deep inside Max, who arched her back and moaned. Slowly, Victoria began sliding her fingers in and out, and Max’s breath began to quicken.

“Faster!” She begged after a couple of minutes.

“No!” I said sharply. “I give the orders here.” Victoria stopped in surprise, and Max whined, straining up at her hand. “Now, I’m hoping that you’re going to behave yourself, or I might not tell Victoria that she can start moving her hand again at all. Max looked at me wide-eyed, and nodded. I left them like that for a few long moments, before telling Victoria, ”okay, you can start fucking her again. Feel free to go a little faster, and maybe you could use your other hand on Max’s clit."

It certainly seemed to work, because soon Max was writhing and moaning. “Yes! Oh, that feels so good!” She looked at me uncertainly. “Am I…” she panted, “am I allowed to come?”

I stared at her, processing how that question made me feel; the power, the trust. I bit my lip for a moment before answering softly, “Yes. Come for me, Max.” She locked eyes with me, and almost immediately her back arched up off bed. My name came out of her mouth in a long moan. Finally, she collapsed back down, breathing heavily, and her eyes closed. Victoria, her hands now still, bent over to kiss her.

“Wow!” I said, after a few moments.

“Yeah,” agreed Max, not opening her eyes

Victoria just smirked at me, then slowly withdrew her fingers from inside Max. Getting up, she came round the bed and offered them to me. “Would you like a taste?” Caught off-guard, I simply gave a small nod and opened my mouth. Victoria slid in her fingers, and I sucked at them, enjoying the tangy flavor.

Max was watching me now. “I bet you weren’t expecting _that_ when you woke up this morning, either.”

“You can say that again,” I replied as Victoria stepped back.

“So, what’s next?” asked Max as she hopped off the bed.

I considered that for a moment. “You seem hungry,” I told her, “and don’t you think that Victoria looks good enough to eat?”

“She always does!”

Victoria positioned herself at the top of the bed her legs spread wide apart. Max lay down between them, and began planting gentle kisses on her inner thighs. After a couple of minutes of this slow torture, Victoria began, “Maxine, can you…” She trailed off, looking at me. “Sorry, Chloe.”

I smiled at her. “Good girl.” Her breath caught, and she shivered for a moment. “As a reward for remembering, I’m going to ask Max to… get the fuck on with it.”

Max looked up at me for a moment; “I hear, and grovelingly obey.” She slowly ran her tongue up Victoria’s lips, eliciting a deep, throaty moan. After, that, she latched onto her pussy, and I couldn’t see exactly what she was doing, only the effect it was having on our girlfriend. I watched as Victoria bit her lip, eyes half closed. Her hips moved against Max’s face, and her hands were on her breasts, playing with the nipples; first idly, then urgently. Her breath came faster and faster, and I could see her losing control.

“That’s it, Victoria,” I encouraged her, “you’re almost there. Show me what it looks like when you come.” Moments later, she let out a wordless cry as muscle spasms ran through her body.

“Mmmm…” she managed after a few moments.

“That’s my good girl,” I told her. “You were beautiful.” She let out a low keening noise at my praise; I filed that information away for future use.

Max climbed off the bed and grinned, before coming over to kiss me. I could taste Victoria on her, and eagerly licked up the juices that were smeared around her mouth. The flavor was somewhat different from Max’s own, but equally delicious.

“I see you’ve already developed a taste for pussy,” she said with a laugh. She looked at me speculatively for a moment. “How would you like to get it from the source? I’m sure if we move you back to the bed we could find some sort of position that works.”

“Yeah,” agreed Victoria eagerly, “and you don’t need to worry about needing to breathe, so…” She trailed off, and I could almost see the possibilities running through her mind.

I was tempted, I really was, but practicality won out. “That sounds really good, but I think I’d just be terrified that one overly vigorous movement would take out my trach. I mean, what a way to go, but I wouldn’t want you to have to explain _that_ to my parents…”

“That’s fair enough,” said Victoria with a smile. “In that case, there’s one last thing we’d like to do.” She slowly trailed a finger down the side of my neck. “Let me know when you can’t feel it any more.” She slowly zig-zagged it up and down, and we determined the boundary between where I can feel, and where I can’t. Max came over and did the same thing on the other side of my neck.

“Are you ready?” she asked me when they were done.

“For what?”

“To have your mind blown,” whispered Max in my ear. I raised and eyebrow, and then nodded. Almost at once, they began; kissing, licking and nibbling along that invisible line. It felt good, and then it felt more than good. There was a low moan; I realized that it came from me. The sensations kept building and time lost all meaning as they continued their assault on my neck.

“God, that feels so good,” I said in a breathy voice that I didn’t quite recognize as my own. And that was when it happened; the sensations reached a crescendo. It felt like fireworks going off inside my head, all that cheesy shit they write about in the romance novels I’ll never admit to reading. Max claims I actually screamed, but I have no memory of that. Either way, by the time I was capable of coherent though again, my girlfriends were looking at me with identical smug grins.

“Wow!”

“Totally!” said Victoria. “I did some research online, but I had no idea if that was actually going to work.”

“Seriously, that was incredible,” added Max.

“Thank-you so much,” I told them. “I never expected to feel anything like that again.”

“Hey, what are girlfriends for?” Victoria said, before kissing me. “So, what next?”

I blinked. “Honestly, I think I need to go back to bed and have a nap.”

“Of course,” Max replied, “whatever you need.” They gently transferred me back onto the bed, and helped me into my pajama top again.

“How would you feel about going out for dinner this evening?” asked Victoria.

“Like… a date?” The prospect both scared and excited me.

“Yes, a date, the three of us. I was thinking we could go to the Indian place where Maxine and I had our first half date.”

I summoned my courage. “I’d love to come.”

Max sniggered. “I think we already handled that part.”

Victoria batted at her. “You rest up, we can sort out the details later on.” She leaned over and kissed me.

“Thank-you,” I told them, “both of you, for everything. You’ve totally earned one last kiss before you go.” Victoria raised an eyebrow, but went to pull Max into an embrace. I simply watched, a growing smile on my face as they intertwined their naked bodies, mouths locked together.

“We’ll see you later,” Max told me when they separated. Then the two of them quickly collected their clothes from where they lay scattered on the floor and furniture, and quietly slipped out of my room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the earliest draft of (parts of) this chapter dates back to not long after I wrote the make-out scene in _Oxygen_. I blame Chloe entirely; her little character voice in the back of my head has definitely been a good bad influence on me.
> 
> I'm afraid it may be a bit of a wait for chapter three, as that hasn't made it off the drawing board yet, and there are other projects clamouring for my attention…


	3. Dining Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apologies for the, er... fourteen month delay between chapters. I haven't abandoned or forgotten about this series, but my creative energies have all been sucked up by the _Life in Pieces_ series, which I _still_ haven't managed to finish. Anyway, this chapter was originally titled _Eating_ Out, until I realised that might be considered false adverdising after the events of the previous chapter…

###### Victoria

“I think that went well,” said Maxine as we climbed the stairs, still butt naked.

“You have a talent for understatement,” I told her.

“Are you really okay with sharing, though; the whole ‘two girlfriends’ thing? I know you can be a little possessive.”

I wanted to dispute that last part, but it’s hard to disagree with the truth. “I am. We both know things have been headed in this direction since the very first time you brought me here. Chloe just put a name on it. And… no matter what we want, it’s never truly going to be an equal partnership.”

“I know,” said Maxine, quietly, and I pulled her into my arms. “Have we just made things worse for ourselves?” she asked a couple of minutes later.

I guessed that she was referring to the day when we would finally lose Chloe. “Honestly, I don’t see how that could be possible, and if we have… what we did for Chloe today made it all worthwhile.”

Maxine gave me a sad smile. “I’m glad you think so too.” Her lips met mine for a moment. “So, we have a few hours to kill…”

“I don’t know about you, but I’d kinda like to follow out girlfriend’s example and have a nap.”

“That does sound like a plan.” We ditched our clothes on the floor, and snuggled up together in the bed. We did nap… eventually.

* * *

It was just before two in the afternoon when I woke up, so the first thing I did was make a quick call to the restaurant to confirm that they had tables available for that evening. Letting Maxine sleep, I pulled on some clothes and headed downstairs to check on Chloe; she looked up at me sleepily as I opened the door. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“’S fine,” she said, blinking rapidly, “if the door brought me out of it, I was probably about ready to wake up anyway.” She smiled at me, “but if you insist on paying reparations, kisses are always happily accepted.” I laughed as I went over to sit next to her, and duly delivered my penance. “Max still asleep?”

“Yeah, but I’m sure she’ll be up soon – or I can go drag her lazy ass out of bed.”

“No, that’s fine, let her rest. Tell me about the plan for this evening.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask: what time is best for you?”

“Early rather than late; we can always watch a movie or something when we get home, but if I run out of spoons in the middle of dinner, that would totally suck. Also, is my chair going to be able to get in there? Even with the ADA, not everywhere is accessible as it should be, and even my parents don’t always remember to check properly.”

I smiled at her. “I scoped the place out last time Maxine and I went there, even talked to the manager. Turns out one of his nephews is a wheelchair user, so it won’t be a problem. He also said they have a small side room we can use if, and I quote, ‘you don’t want to worry about people staring at you.’”

“That sounds good,” admitted Chloe. “I’m not fond of feeling like I’m hiding, but seeing people staring, and overhearing their comments… that I can do without.” After a few moments pause, she continued, “I want to thank you for making this whole weekend possible. What we did earlier was incredible, and we’d never have had that opportunity if you hadn’t found a way to get my parents out of town.”

“They needed the break,” I told her, “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to manage the same trick again.”

“Probably not, but I’m sure I can persuade them to have occasional date nights or something. I’m not above being pointed about wanting some alone time with you two, if that’s what it takes.” She must have seen something in my expression. “Sure, it’ll be awkward if it comes to that, but I don’t have time to worry about getting embarrassed.”

“Chloe, I…”

“It’s fine, Victoria, and I’m sure it won’t come to that.”

We sat quietly for a little while. I still get thrown by how Chloe switches between living for today, and being brutally upfront about how few tomorrows she has left. Perhaps they’re two sides of the same thing, the way she’s learned to cope. I don’t suppose that either constantly thinking about it, or completely ignoring it would be healthy strategies – I know; I’ve attempted both.

I heard the door open behind me, and Chloe’s eyes lit up. A sleep-drunk Maxine came in, wearing nothing but a T-shirt that she’d managed to put on backwards; it’s barely decent, and my eyes, like Chloe’s, were immediately drawn to her legs before snapping back to her face. “Hey, you didn’t wake me.”

“I just wanted to check in with Chloe about our plans for this evening, and you looked like you needed the rest. Now that you’re here, I should probably go call about a reservation.” I got up, and Maxine shuffled over to give Chloe a kiss. She turned and grabbed me as I started towards the door, pulling me into a kiss, too. When I put my arms around her, I made sure to pull up the back of her shirt a little; I figured that Chloe wouldn’t mind the show.

* * *

Three hours later, we were getting ready to leave; the morning’s… activities had the added benefit that none of us was uncomfortable about Maxine and I getting Chloe washed and dressed. I’d gone shopping the week before to buy her a new ‘date night’ outfit of a fancy blouse, jacket and slacks, and Chloe had been delighted. It may have been more difficult to get her into than the specially adapted clothes she usually wore, but none of those were terribly stylish, and all three of us agreed it was worth the effort – she looked stunning. We’d spent the afternoon watching a movie, so that she could save her energy for our date, and all three of us were in high spirits as we headed out the front door.

The walk into town took around twenty minutes; we were in no rush, and besides, Chloe’s chair doesn’t exactly have go-faster stripes. I was relieved that she could indeed get up the small ramp and into the restaurant without any trouble. Bheru greeted us cheerfully – Maxine and I had been regular customers ever since our first date; it was our own private little get-away – and led the way to the alcove at the back. As promised, we were shielded from the stares of other diners and, as a bonus, we had an excellent view of the open-plan kitchen.

“So, what do you fancy?” I asked Chloe, holding up the menu for her to read.

“Honestly, I have no idea; this is all new to me. Nothing too hot, though – not because I don’t like it, but for health reasons.” Maxine and I debated the merits of our favorites among the milder dishes, letting Chloe have the final say before putting in our order.

“We can always do takeout in a week or two, so you can try out some of the other dishes,” I told her.

“Sounds good,” she agreed. “And… thanks for bringing me here, of all places; I know that it’s special for you two.”

“Of course,” Maxine said, “we don’t want this relationship to be about Victoria and Max… plus Chloe; it needs to be about all three of us _together_.”

Chloe’s face twitched, like she was going to cry. “Thanks, you guys, I… that means a lot to me.”

We slipped into easier conversation after that. Once the food arrived, Maxine and I took it in turns feeding bits of the various dishes to Chloe, who was clearly relishing the whole experience. I was reminded of my first half-date there with Maxine; the excitement of a new relationship, and watching her delight at all the new flavors she was experiencing.

We headed home with Maxine and I on either side of Chloe, each resting a hand on one of hers, not caring who might see. To be honest, there wasn’t anybody much about. We did have one drunk guy try to spoil our evening, but Chloe was having none of it. “Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s rude to stare?” she called.

“He’s probably just jealous because you’re out on a date with your two hot girlfriends, and he can’t even get one,” I suggested, loudly enough for him to hear. Maxine looked at me like I was crazy for baiting him, and when he took a couple of steps towards us, I began to worry – but then he tripped over his own feet and landed in the gutter. We laughed, and left him awkwardly climbing to his feet, clearly in no condition to chase us.

Back home, we got Chloe changed and into bed, then the three of us watched another movie together. “Thanks for today,” she said when it was over, “all of it. I… I don’t have words for what it means to me.”

“No words necessary,” Maxine said, bending over to kiss her.

“So, what do you want to do tomorrow?” I asked.

“Um. I was wondering if… maybe… like this morning?” It was adorable how suddenly shy Chloe was.

“I thought you’d never ask,” I told her with a grin.


	4. Owning Up

###### Kate

I caught the bus into town after school on Monday; Chloe had sent me an email asking if I’d visit her when I got the chance. When I got to the Price house, Joyce welcomed me, and insisted I take a mug of tea and a plate of cookies through with me. Chloe was using the computer when I went into her room, but she quickly spun her chair around and smiled at me. “Hi, Kate, how are you? Thanks for dropping by.”

“I’m very well, thank-you, and it’s always lovely to see you. How was your weekend? Max and Victoria wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“It was… incredible.” I raised an eyebrow; that sounded like hyperbole. “I want to tell you about it, but I don’t want Max and Victoria knowing that you know; that would be kinda awkward.”

“You can always tell me anything in confidence, Chloe, you know that.”

“I do. Thanks, bestie.”

“Bestie? I thought Max was your best friend.” 

“Not any more.”

I was confused. “But… didn’t you say it was an ‘incredible’ weekend?”

“I did, and Max isn’t my best friend any more because now…” Chloe paused dramatically, like an able-bodied person would if they were taking a deep breath. “Now she’s my girlfriend – and so is Victoria.” My eyes widened. It wasn’t a total surprise, of course; Chloe had told me about her attraction, and the kisses they’d shared, but this… was something I needed to accept, immediately and whole-heartedly. Anything less than that would hurt my friend; she needed my support, not my judgment.

Or my jealousy.

I pushed that last thought aside and forced myself to smile. “That’s great! I’m so happy for you.” Chloe’s eyes narrowed, and I could tell I hadn’t fooled her. “Truly, I am; or, at least, I want to be.” I hung my head. “I still have too much ingrained prejudice for me to overcome it overnight.”

“Hey, that’s okay, Kate. It’s not your fault that your mother tried to brainwash you; what matters is that you’re trying to move past that. You’re an amazing friend, and I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”

“Thanks, Chloe, that… that means a lot. When Max first brought me here to meet you, I had no idea it was going to be the start of such a beautiful friendship, and God knows you deserve every happiness. I just need a little time to adjust to the idea of this… lesbian threesome thing you’ve got going on now.” Chloe was sniggering, and I frowned. “I know that ‘threesome’ isn’t the right word…”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” she said, with a salacious smirk.

I blinked at her in confusion for a moment, and then my eyes widened. “You didn’t!” I said in disbelief.

“We did! It was… amazing. I gave up hope a long time ago that sex was ever going to be a part of my life, and I’ve no idea whether we going to have the opportunity again, but I’m so glad that I got to experience it, at least once… twice.”

There were all kinds of thoughts running through my head: Echoes of what my mother would say, which I immediately pushed aside. The question _‘how?’_ , which I didn’t actually want Chloe to answer. And, another hot spike of jealousy; not quite as strong the second time, since _that_ wasn’t what I wanted with Max and Victoria – not that I really knew what I _did_ want.

“Wow,” I managed, stalling while I collected my thoughts. “That’s… really great.” Impulsively, I reached out and rested my hand on Chloe’s cheek for a moment. “I want nothing but happiness for you, no matter the cause.”

“I’ve never doubted it,” Chloe told me, all seriousness for a moment. “I’m not sure that Max will ever realize just what she did for me that day she introduced you. Having her back in my life may be what made me want to live again, but you’ve been my rock, the person I can talk to about all the stuff that I can’t discuss with anyone else, the things I _need_ to talk about if I’m going to follow through on that desire. Maybe Max could have been that person, but I doubt it; and even if she could, then I wouldn’t have her as the person I can just relax and enjoy myself with – and I certainly wouldn’t have this relationship with her and Victoria. I know that’s hardly fair on you…”

“Don’t ever think like that,” I told her sternly. “Our friendship means the world to me; being able to help you – not as some pity project, but as someone I genuinely care about – is the kind of fulfillment I live for. And don’t go forgetting that we’ve talked about my issues as well: the strained relationship with my mother, wondering what might have happened if Max and Victoria hadn’t rescued me at that party, trying to figure out my sexuality… This has always been a two-way street.”

“Sorry, I know that, I just… I’m not always able to see it that way. When you’re like this,” she nodded at her unmoving body, “it can be easy to get caught up worrying that you’re a burden on everyone else.”

“You’re not,” I promised her.

“I know,” she said, “but sometimes I forget, even after weekends like the one I just had.”

“Speaking of which,” I smoothly segue into a happier topic, “tell me all about it.” Chloe raised an eyebrow at me, perhaps a little suggestively. “Not _that!_ ” I hurriedly add.

Chloe laughed – one of my favorite sounds – and told me all about the less salacious parts of her weekend. As I rode the bus back to Blackwell, I thought again about my growing… crush on Max and Victoria, still unsure what – if anything – to do about it. I realized that Chloe’s revelation had given me a very clear answer: nothing. Even as it opened up the tantalizing possibility that they would be open to some sort of three-way relationship, it showed me what the cost of that would be. Even if Chloe was okay with sharing her new girlfriends, no way was I going to take _any_ of their time and affection away from her.

Not when she has so little time left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have a bunch more stories for this series (very) vaguely sketched out, but I'm afraid there's likely to be another few months at least until the next one (not counting _Gold_ ) makes an appearance. And, to give you fair warning, _Uranium_ will, as its title might suggest, have the "Major Character Death" archive warning tag on it.


End file.
